Pear and hazelnut cake composed of
– a chocolate praline crisp,
– a hazelnut biscuit,
– a hazelnut mousse,
– a pear mousse with pieces,
– a chocolate mirror glaze.
Equipment used
– Ancel 210 bloom gelatin
– Tefal baking sheet
– Baking paper
– Angled spatula
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Ingredients
Hazelnut biscuit
✔65g hazelnut powder
✔65g sugar
✔14g flour
✔20g melted butter
✔100g egg whites
✔1 egg
Pears in syrup
✔Pears
✔Powdered sugar
✔Water
✔Liquid vanilla
Crunchy chocolate praline
✔40g hazelnut praline
✔30g crêpes dentelles
✔30g milk chocolate
Pear mousse
✔90g pears
✔1.5g gelatin
✔60g heavy cream
Hazelnut praline mousse
✔50g heavy cream
✔60g hazelnut praline
✔2g gelatin
✔80g heavy cream
Milk chocolate mirror glaze
✔22 g sugar
✔22 g glucose
✔12.5 ml water
✔22 g milk chocolate
✔15 ml liquid cream
✔2 g gelatin
The recipe
Serves 4
Crunchy chocolate praline
✔40g hazelnut praline
✔30g crêpes dentelles (thin crispy wafers)
✔30g milk chocolate
Melt the milk chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Add the hazelnut praline and crumbled crêpes dentelles. Mix gently. Spread between two sheets of parchment paper, place in the freezer for a few minutes, then cut into a square the size of your 12×12 cm frame. You can use your frame to cut it. Keep cool until ready to assemble.
Hazelnut biscuit
✔65g hazelnut powder
✔65g sugar
✔14g flour
✔20g melted butter
✔100g egg whites
✔1 egg
Pour the hazelnut powder, sugar, and flour into a bowl. Add the egg and melted butter. Mix. In another bowl, beat the egg white with an electric mixer. Gently fold this beaten egg white mixture into the previous mixture. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, smooth with an offset spatula to ensure an even thickness, and bake at 170/180°C.
Allow the biscuit to cool. Turn it over and carefully remove the parchment paper. Then cut into 12x12cm squares.
Place your crunchy hazelnut praline at the bottom of your frame.
Place the hazelnut cookie on top of your crispy base and refrigerate.
Pears in syrup
Peel, quarter, and cook the pears in a saucepan with water, sugar, and liquid vanilla. Drain them well on paper towels, then cut them into pieces.
You can also use canned pears, draining them well on paper towels.
If you use ripe, sweet pears, you can use them without cooking them in syrup.
Pear mousse
✔90g pears
✔1.5g gelatin
✔60g heavy cream
Soften the gelatin sheet in a bowl of cold water. Heat the pear purée (blended ripe pears or blended pears in syrup) in a saucepan for a few minutes over low heat to allow some of the water to evaporate. Remove from the heat and add the softened, squeezed gelatin, stirring well. Set aside.
Whip the very cold heavy cream (30% fat minimum) with an electric mixer. Add the warm pear purée (below 30°C so the whipped cream doesn’t collapse).
Pour half of your mousse onto your hazelnut biscuit. Add pieces of pear, spreading them evenly over the entire surface. Place in the freezer.
Hazelnut praline mousse
✔50g heavy cream
✔60g hazelnut praline
✔2g gelatin
✔80g heavy cream
Place the gelatin sheet in a large bowl of cold water.
Pour the heavy cream and hazelnut praline into a saucepan and heat. Remove from the heat and add the softened, well-drained gelatin. In a mixing bowl, whip the cold heavy cream with an electric mixer. Once the temperature has dropped (to around 30°C), gently fold it into the previous mixture using a spatula.
Pour half of the hazelnut mousse onto your pear mousse and place in the freezer for a few minutes.
Finally, add the remaining pear mousse, adding pieces of pear, and place back in the freezer for a few minutes (be careful not to wait too long, otherwise your gelatin will start to set).
Finish by pouring the remaining hazelnut mousse on top. Be careful to leave 2 mm of space at the top for the mirror glaze. Place in the freezer overnight.
Milk chocolate mirror glaze
✔22 g sugar
✔22 g glucose
✔12.5 ml water
✔22 g milk chocolate
✔15 ml liquid cream
✔2 g gelatin
Place the gelatin sheet in a large bowl of cold water.
In a saucepan, heat the sugar, water, and glucose to boiling. Remove from the heat and add the drained and softened gelatin. Pour this mixture over the milk chocolate, which has been melted in the microwave. Stir well. Add the heavy cream. Use a hand blender without a cover to achieve a smooth mixture. Remove the cake from the freezer. Cover the surface with the glaze, which has been brought to 34/35°C.
Place in the refrigerator until the icing sets, then remove the frame.
Serve whole or cut into individual portions.
I added small edible gold leaf decorations on top.
